A Smart Traveler’s Guide to Finding Cheap Air Tickets

Looking for the cheapest air tickets online seems like you’re trying to find your way through the maze but only if you know the right hacks, you can save a lot of money. By getting your tickets booked at low price, you can spend more money on your adventures.

This guide to finding cheap air tickets is packed with some useful airfare tips and hacks to help you snag those best Air Tickets deals online. Let’s dive right in.

Understanding the Basics of Airfare Pricing

The time has gone when the airline tickets were set in stone. Nowadays the airline system has totally changed and the prices are changing all the time. There are a lot of things these prices depend on. We’ll discuss that later in this post.

When a lot of people are flying to certain travel destination at a certain time, the airline will bump up the prices at once. And when the travelers are not flying to a certain destination as much the airlines have predicted, the prices will go down. Other factors like how much jet fuel costs, also matter.

How Airlines Determine Prices

Almost every airline has a very smart way of determining the flight prices. They use a complex algorithms, detailed formulas and forecasting trends. One of the biggest things that is the same for every other airline is the supply and demand.

This means if a lot of people fly to somewhere, or most of the seats booked already, the air ticket prices will skyrocket. It’s more like when the Uber rides or hotel rooms get more expensive when there are a lot of bookings.

Fare Buckets: Airlines split their seats into groups which is called fare buckets. For every fare bucket group, there are different prices and rules about luggage, changing your ticket and time. Whenever the cheaper group sells out, only the pricier ones are left even it’s on the same plane.

If you are willing to change your travel dates, find a nearby airport to your destination, or avail any discount coupon from airline website, chances are that you will find a better deal.

The Impact of Supply and Demand on Ticket Costs

Before fly to any country, understanding the airfare prices earlier is important especially during weekends and peak season. Normally, during weekends, holidays and events, the flight tickets drastically go up. In this case, it’s best to know the supply and demand earlier to get best deals.

It is advised to fly during off-peak season when airfare prices are lower. However, if you’re able to fly in the middle of the week, like Tuesdays or Wednesdays, you will likely find better deals.

The Best Time to Book Your Flight

The answer to this question depends on various factors so it will be difficult to answer it in one line. A good rule of thumb is to start exploring flights earlier especially during peak season. However, sometimes last-minutes deals won’t benefit you in saving ticket prices as prices generally go up as the departure date gets closer.

The Myth of Last-Minute Deals

Last-minute deals only benefit you when you want to fly to less crowded spots or consider flying during off-peak season. So, be aware yourself with last-minute deals as various travel agencies create myth about last-minute deals.

Here are some of the reasons why you shouldn’t wait for last-minute deals:

• With time, flight seats are usually getting booked and it’s difficult for you to book your flight.
• As travel date gets closer, the ticket prices might increase because of increasing demand.
• Holding off till end means you cannot go for various options and comes with travel plans that don’t best match with your travel preferences.

Setting Up Price Alerts for Cheap Tickets

To keep an eye of air ticket prices, you need to set the price alerts in your phone. Go for famous tools or platforms like Google Flights, Momondo, Hopper and Kayak. You cane easily track prices whether going up or down. You will get alerts whenever there’s any change in the air ticket pricing.

Tools and Platforms to Monitor Airfare

 Here are some of the best tools and platforms that you can use to get cheap air tickets online.

• Google Flights: Just simply enter where and when you want to fly and then hit “track prices”, Google Flights will do all the work and notify you whenever the prices go up or down.
• Skyscanner: This amazing platform not only track prices but also help you check the price forecast.
• Hopper: You will get to know the price trends and get notifications when prices are expected to drop.
• Kayak: This amazing platform is very helpful and comes in handy when it comes to getting price alerts, fare calendars, and a wide range of travel options.

You can search in Google to find more amazing quality platforms if you are a very frequent traveler.

A Beginner’s Guide to Cheap Air Travel

Starting the search for cheap flights might seem like a very complex and hefty task, especially if you’re new to air traveling. This informational and helpful guide is here to make things easy for you.

Let’s get started!

What You’ll Need to Get Started

Here are some of the things you need to consider first:

• A good internet connection and a device: Make sure you have a good computer or smartphone with a reliable internet connection. This will help you use search engines like Google, Bing, Yandex and other websites for booking your flight.
• An up-to-date passport and visa (if needed): Your passport should be valid for six months after when you plan to fly back to your home destination. Make sure all the paper work is already done for the specific destination where you are planning to travel.
• A credit card ready for bookings: You should have a credit card when it comes time to booking airline tickets online. Most of the airlines and travel agencies are going to ask for payment via credit card. Don’t forget to use reward points on your card to save some money.
• Travel insurance (recommended): It’s important that you get travel insurance just in case something unexpected happens. No matter what medical situation you are in while abroad, or having to cancel your trip last minute – being insured means these kinds of issues won’t hit as hard.

Step 1: Identify Flexible Travel Dates

Being flexible is one of the best ways to go for cheap airfares. Try to plan your itinerary during weekdays when flight prices are lower and you can enjoy your itinerary without any stress. So, remember being flexible not only let you enjoy one benefit in fact, you could easily enjoy several benefits.

Step 2: Use Multiple Flight Comparison Sites

When booking your flight, don’t just stick to one website as you have to search for different airlines and travel agencies. Avoid being in hurry and do not make any booking mistakes.

For checking out prices and routes, try using sites like Google Flights, Skyscanner, Kayak, Expedia, and Momondo. From these sites, you can easily get best deals.

Step 3: Consider Alternative Airports

Looking for alternative airport options can help you save a lot of money. Usually, smaller airports come with lower airfares and less choices but big airports allow you to avail of with several choices at higher rates. When searching for flights online, make sure to check the option that lets you see prices for airports close by as well.

Step 4: Look for Special Promotions and Sales

Don’t forget to look for special promotions, discounts and coupons offered by various airlines. Points Guy and Scott’s Cheap Flights are two of the important websites or apps from where you can easily get idea about different travel deals. So if you find a great price, don’t wait too long to book it because those cheap tickets can sell fast.

Leveraging Loyalty Programs and Points

Loyalty programs and points offered by various travel companies will let you enjoy unlimited discounts. Airlines and credit card companies have these programs. Try to sign up for loyalty programs as soon as possible as it doesn’t cost anything. Also, don’t forget to use multiple credit cards to enjoy unlimited offers.

Earning Points Through Credit Cards and Travel

Do you want to enjoy free flights? It’s all possible by using travel rewards credit cards. Other than free flight, you can enjoy many other benefits too like various sign-up bonuses, travel insurance and get extra points. If your points completed, there’s no need to worry as you can add more points by joining airline dining programs, using shopping portals online and frequently using hotel loyalty programs.

Strategies for Flying During Peak Seasons

If you want to fly during peak seasons, there are some strategies that help you travel in budget-friendly way even during busiest days. With thorough research, proper planning and avail of with loyalty programs, you can still get best deals during busy times. The more you give your time to research, there are more chances that you will get better deals.

Best Practices for Booking Holiday Travel

Traveling during holidays is something that various travelers want to go for. But, it’s also the time when airline increase their prices, making it difficult for you to find economical deals.

To help you find out the best deals, here are some practices that you should follow when booking for holiday travel:

• Start looking for flights as early as possible: Once you freed yourself from your holiday plans, search different flight options without any wait. The sooner you book, the better deal you will get.
• Think about flying from different airports: By thinking about flying from less-known or uncrowded airports, you could find yourself saving money even when everyone else is traveling too.
• Keep an eye out with price alerts: For genuine price alerts, must use Google Flights and Skyscanner to get an idea about when will prices lower down and increase.

Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Overpricing

When searching for budget-friendly options, do not forget to consider common traps that can cause prices to skyrocket. There are chances that late-night or early morning flights could save you money. Also, book yourselves prior to 1 month to cut airline ticket costs.

Conclusion

To get your hands on snagging affordable airline tickets, you need to stay alert about the drop in air ticket prices, fly on flexible dates and avoid flying during weekends. The above traveler’s guide is to finding cheap airline tickets can be helpful when you follow our tips and hacks.

Book your flight ahead of time whenever there’s need of flying domestically or internationally. Hope you’ve learned from our blog and let us know in the comment sections if you are planning to travel soon and what did you do to save more money on booking airline tickets.

Frequently Asked Questions